The invention relates to an injection device comprising an injection needle which is connected to the injection device and which, when connected, is situated in or on the injection device in a sterile environment. The invention further relates to a needle support suitable for sterilely attaching an injection needle into or onto an injection device. The subject of the invention is also an ampoule for an injection device, designed for establishing a fluid connection to a sterilely attached injection needle.
On way of making the handling of injection devices easier and safer is to pre-attach the injection needle onto or into the injection device during manufacture. The user does not have to worry about attaching the needle himself. This simplifies handling and reduces the risk of injury. The danger of damaging the needle due to careless handling by the user and the danger of the needle being incorrectly attached are also eliminated. The sterility of the pre-attached injection needle must, however, be ensured.
An auto-injection device is known from EP 0 695 554 A2, into whose casing the injection needle is inserted by means of a needle support. The needle support holds the injection needle in a central needle portion and orients it in the longitudinal direction towards an ampoule filled with an injectable product. The needle projects from the needle support on both sides, from a front needle portion and a rear needle portion. The injection needle is injected into and under the human skin via its front needle portion. The fluid connection between the ampoule and the injection needle is not established until the exact time of injection, by advancing the ampoule firstly against the needle support and then, together with the needle support, relative to the casing of the injection device. When the ampoule is advanced relative to the needle support, the rear needle portion of the injection needle penetrates a membrane which seals a product outlet of the ampoule. In order to ensure the sterility of the injection needle up until a first injection, the entire injection device must be sterilized in its interior. Sterilization is therefore complicated and expensive.